Kungani Kumele Sibhadale Imithelo?

BALUTSHWANE abantu abathanda ukubhadala imithelo. Abanengi bacabanga ukuthi imithelo yabo ayisetshenziswa kuhle futhi iyatshontshwa. Kwelinye idolobho eliseMiddle East abahlali baleyondawo babengafuni ukubhadala imithelo besithi: “Asisoze sinike uhulumende imali yokuthi athenge izikhali zokubulala abantwabethu.”

Abanengi bayavumelana lakho lokhu sibili, bathi ngeke bakhiphe imithelo ezaphinda isetshenziswe kubi. Omunye umkhokheli wezombusazwe owe-Indiya uMohandas K. Gandhi wachasisa ukuthi kungani umzwangedwa wakhe ungeke umvumele ukuthi abhadale umthelo, wathi: “Loba ngubani osekela uhulumende olamasotsha wenza isono, kungelani lokuthi usekela ngendlela esegcekeni loba ecatshileyo. Loba ngubani obhadala imithelo ukuze uhulumende athuthukise inhlelo zakhe, wenza isono.”

Enye ingcitshi yezefilosofi okuthiwa nguHenry David Thoreau yayala ukubhadala imithelo esekela izimpi. UThoreau wathi akuqondanga ukuthi abezombusazwe babambe abantu ngamandla ukwenza into abayibona ingaqondanga. Umuntu ngamunye kumele enze lokho akutshelwa ngumzwangedwa wakhe.

Indaba yokubhadala imithelo iqakathekile kakhulu sibili kumaKhristu, ngoba iBhayibhili likubeka kucace ukuthi amaKhristu kumele abe lomzwangedwa ohlanzekileyo. (2 KuThimothi 1:3) IBhayibhili lalo liyakuvuma ukuthi ohulumende balalo ilungelo lokubhadalisa imithelo. Lithi: “Wonke umuntu kazehlise kuziphathamandla [ohulumende] ngoba akulamandla angaveli kuNkulunkulu. Iziphathamandla ezikhona zivunyelwe nguNkulunkulu ukuthi zibe sezikhundleni zazo. Ngakho kulesizatho esikhulu sokuthi lizehlise, hatshi nje ngenxa yolaka lolu kodwa langenxa yemizwangedwa yenu. Yikho futhi libhadala imithelo ngoba iziphathamandla ziyizinceku zikaNkulunkulu zomphakathi ezihlala zisenzela abantu imisebenzi ebancedayo. Nikani bonke okubafaneleyo. Lowo ofuna umthelo mnikeni umthelo.”—KwabaseRoma 13:1, 5-7.

Lokhu yikho okwenza amaKhristu akuqala abhadala imithelo kungelani lokuthi eminye yakhona yayisetshenziswa kwezempi. Lalamuhla oFakazi bakaJehova baziwa ngokubhadala imithelo. a Manje yindaba sibhadala imithelo esetshenziswa ezintweni ezingahambelani lalokho okutshiwo liBhayibhili? Kumele yini umKhristu angalaleli umzwangedwa wakhe nxa kumele abhadale umthelo?

Ukubhadala Imithelo Kwenza Sibe Lomzwangedwa Ohlanzekileyo

Ngesikhathi samaKhristu okuqala, imali enengi yomthelo eyayibhadalwa ngabantu yayisetshenziswa kwezempi. Lesi yiso isizatho esenza uGandhi loThoreau esike saxoxa ngabo bayala ukubhadala imithelo.

Okwakusenza amaKhristu alalele umthetho okusahluko 13 esikuRoma ayisikho ukuthi ayesesaba ukujeziswa kodwa ayekwenza ‘ngenxa yemizwangedwa yawo.’ (KwabaseRoma 13:5) Kungelani lokuthi umKhristu kavumelani lendlela imithelo esetshenziswa ngayo, uyabhadala kuphela ukuze ahlale elomzwangedwa ohlanzekileyo. Ukuze sikuzwisise lokhu, kumele sikwazi indlela umzwangedwa osebenza ngayo. Phela unjengelizwi elingaphakathi kithi elisitshela ukuthi yikuphi okuqondileyo lokungaqondanga.

Njengoba uThoreau watsho, wonke umuntu ulelizwi elimtshelayo ngaphakathi kodwa angeke sihlale silithemba. Ukuze sithokozise uNkulunkulu, umzwangedwa wethu kumele siwuqeqetshe uhambelane lalokho okufunwa nguye. UNkulunkulu uhlakaniphile kakhulu kulathi, yikho kumele sitshintshe indlela esicabanga ngayo ifanane leyakhe. (IHubo 19:7) Kumele sizame ukuzwisisa ukuthi uthini ngabohulumende. Vele uyibona njani imibuso yabantu?

Umphostoli uPhawuli wathi “iziphathamandla ziyizinceku zikaNkulunkulu zomphakathi.” (KwabaseRoma 13:6) Kutshoni lokhu? Ngamazwi alula nje, lokhu kutsho ukuthi zenza imisebenzi etshiyeneyo enceda umphakathi. Ngitsho lohulumende owaziwa ngokungathembeki uyabenzela abantu bakhe imisebenzi emihle enjengokuthola imfundo, ukuvikeleka kanye lezinye inhlelo zokuphepha. Kungelani lokuthi uNkulunkulu uyazazi izinto ezimbi iziphathamandla ezizenzayo, uyazivumela ukuthi ziqhubeke zikhona futhi ufuna ukuthi sitshengise ukuthi siyazihlonipha ngokubhadala imithelo.

UJehova uvumele ukuthi ohulumende babuse okwesikhatshana. Uzayikhipha yonke imibuso yabantu afake owakhe uMbuso wasezulwini ozalungisa wonke umonakalo owenziwe yikubusa kwabantu okwesikhathi sonke lesi. (UDanyeli 2:44; UMathewu 6:10) Okwakhathesi uJehova ufuna sibahloniphe futhi sibhadale imithelo.

Manje kumele wenzeni nxa lawe ubucabanga njengoGandhi ukuthi ukubhadala imithelo ecina isetshenziswa ukuncedisa ezimpini yisono? Njengoba nje umuntu esenelisa ukubona izindawo ezikhatshana nxa ephezu koqaqa kumbe kwentaba, lathi kumele sikhumbule ukuthi uJehova uphakeme futhi ulenhlakanipho lolwazi olunengi ukudlula thina. Yikho yithi okumele sitshintshe indlela esicabanga ngayo. UNkulunkulu esebenzisa umphrofethi u-Isaya wathi: “Njengoba amazulu ephakeme kulomhlaba, izindlela zami ziphakeme kulezenu, lemicabango yami iphakeme kuleyenu.”—U-Isaya 55:8, 9.

Nguphi Umkhokheli Okumele Simlalele?

Lanxa iBhayibhili lisithi kumele sibhadale imithelo, lokhu akutsho ukuthi sekumele silalele konke nje esikutshelwa ngohulumende. UJesu wathi uNkulunkulu wanika ababusi amandla alinganiselweyo. Ngesikhathi ebuzwa ngeyinye indoda ukuthi kwakuqondile yini ukuthi amaJuda abhadale umthelo kuKhesari umbusi wamaRoma, uJesu wathi: “Buyiselani okukaKhesari kuKhesari, kodwa okukaNkulunkulu kuNkulunkulu.”—UMakho 12:13-17.

Uhulumende owayemelwa nguKhesari wayebhala imali ayifake umfanekiso kaKhesari ukuze ibe lesisindo. Ohulumende yibo abenza imali, yikho uNkulunkulu efuna sibhadale imithelo yabo. UJesu watshengisa ukuthi kumele sinikele ukuphila kwethu kuNkulunkulu futhi sikhonze yena yedwa. Nxa imithetho yabantu isiphikisana lemithetho kaNkulunkulu, amaKhristu ‘kumele alalele uNkulunkulu umbusi kulokuthi alalele abantu.’—ImiSebenzi 5:29.

Ngezinye izikhathi amaKhristu angangayithandi indlela imithelo esetshenziswa ngayo elizweni, kodwa angeke aphikisane lohulumende kumbe ayale ukubhadala imithelo esenzela ukuthi uhulumende asebenzise imithelo ngendlela wona ayifunayo. Nxa angenza njalo ayabe etshengisa ukuthi awamthembi uJehova onguye ozalungisa inhlupho zonke. AmaKhristu ayabekezela futhi amelela uJehova ukuthi alungise inhlupho zonke esebenzisa iNdodana yakhe uJesu eyathi: “UMbuso wami awusiwo walumhlaba.”—UJohane 18:36.

Ukulandela Imfundiso ZeBhayibhili Kusinceda Njani?

Ukulandela lokho esikutshelwa liBhayibhili mayelana lokubhadala imithelo kuzakunceda ukuthi ungehlelwa zinhlupho ezinengi. Kuzakuvikela ukuthi ungatholi isijeziso esigcinelwe labo abephula umthetho futhi awusoze udlele evalweni usesaba ukuthi uzabanjwa. (KwabaseRoma 13:3-5) Okuqakatheke kakhulu yikuthi uzahlala ulomzwangedwa ohlanzekileyo futhi uzenza ukuthi uNkulunkulu adunyiswe ngendlela oziphatha ngayo. Kungelani lokuthi ungalahlekelwa yimali enengi usale usulemali encane ukudlula labo abangabhadaliyo imithelo, wena ungathembela kuNkulunkulu ukuthi uzahlala ezinakekela izikhonzi zakhe ezithembekileyo. UDavida wathi: “Ngangimncane, khathesi sengimdala, kodwa angikaze ngibone olungileyo elahliwe, loba abantwabakhe beswele ukudla.”—IHubo 37:25.

Ukuzwisisa lokulandela lokho iBhayibhili elisitshela khona mayelana lokubhadala imithelo, kuzakwenza ube lokuthula futhi uhlaliseke. Njengoba kungelamthetho ongakubeka icala ngendlela umnikazi wendlu ohlala kuyo asebenzisa ngayo imali yakho obhadale ngayo irenti, loJehova ngeke akubeke icala ngendlela ohulumende abasebenzisa ngayo umthelo owubhadalileyo. Ngesikhathi indoda okuthiwa nguStelvio ehlala eningizimu ye-Europe ingakafundi iBhayibhili, yazama ukulwisana lokungaphathwa kuhle okwakukhona elizweni layo. Nxa ichasisa okwayenza yatshiyana lakho, yathi: “Kwakumele ngivume ukuthi akulamuntu ongaletha ukulunga, ukuthula kumbe ukuzwanana emhlabeni. NguMbuso kaNkulunkulu kuphela ongenza kube lomphakathi ongcono.”

Nxa ungathembeka njengoStelvio ‘ubuyisele okukaNkulunkulu kuNkulunkulu,’ uzaba leqiniso lokuthi uNkulunkulu uzakuletha ukulunga emhlabeni.Lawe uzazibonela ngawakho uNkulunkulu esebusa ngokulunga emhlabeni njalo elungisa umonakalo wonke lokungaphathwa kuhle kwabantu emhlabeni okubangelwe yikubusa kwabantu.

[Amabala angaphansi]

[Amabala asekhasini]

Kumele silungise indlela esicabanga ngayo ifanane lekaNkulunkulu ngoba imicabango kaNkulunkulu iphakeme kuleyethu

[Amabala asekhasini]

Nxa amaKhristu ebhadala imithelo, kwenza abe lomzwangedwa ohlanzekileyo kuNkulunkulu futhi ayabe etshengisa ukuthi ayamthemba uJehova ukuthi nguye ozawanika konke akudingayo

[Imifanekiso esekhasini]

“Buyiselani okukaKhesari kuKhesari, kodwa okukaNkulunkulu kuNkulunkulu”

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Copyright British Museum